The present invention relates to a lady's golf ball which has a distinctive appearance and excellent scuff resistance, and appeals particularly to lady golfers.
In the technical field relating to golf balls, various innovations are commonly made to improve ball performance, including carry, feel, controllability and durability. In addition to these ball performance characteristics, there has existed over the past few years a growing demand for a ball appearance that is visually novel, available in color variations which women are fond of, and has a soft, pastel feel. A number of golf balls which are finished to a more attractive appearance and are highly stylish have recently been disclosed in the art.
Such golf balls have been described in, for example, JP-A 6-170013, JP-A 2004-81350, and JP-A 2000-254251 (and the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,277). These golf balls have been made highly stylish by including an interference pigment and a polarizing material in a layer of paint applied to the surface of the ball.
However, in these prior-art golf balls, if the surface of the ball is even slightly marred by use, the affected area becomes conspicuous and diminishes the impression one has of the ball's appearance.
Also, most prior-art golf balls are white. Although a small number of orange, yellow or other fluorescent colored golf balls have been used, balls of this sort lack a high-quality feel. Golf balls in such colors as light blue, pink and green similarly lack a sufficient sense of quality, leaving substantial room for improvement.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a golf ball which has a distinctive appearance and is highly stylish, and thus particularly well-suited for use as a lady's golf ball, and which moreover has an excellent scuff resistance.